The VA Didn’t Do the Right Thing, Congress Didn't Either

There are a lot of reports that get to me emotionally, more than others. This one about claims being stuffed in a file cabinet ranked toward the top.

The claims, which dated back as far as the mid-1990s, were discovered in 2012 as a national scandal erupted over the VA’s sloppy and slow handling of benefits, which outraged veterans.
San Francisco Gate, Oakland VA office botched benefits, forgot about claims

It hit me hard on several levels. The battle my husband and I fought was from 1982 when I was discovering what PTSD was from the local library. We didn't have the internet back then in case you don't remember those days. It took 8 more years to get him to be diagnosed by a private doctor. Three more years to get him to go to the Veterans Center and from there, to the VA hospital.

What I thought would save his life and our marriage turned into another 6 years of fighting the VA to treat him, honor his claim and fighting him to not give up. I thanked God he had great doctors at the VA working with me to help him while the claim denials were making things worse for him.

That nightmare hasn't changed for veterans even though we have the internet to find out what is going on from state to state and well aware of the struggles fought as much as we are aware that politicians never hold anyone accountable for any of this. Why should they when they've gotten away with all of this for decades?

We lived clear across the country from California yet time zones didn't matter.  Veterans were suffering from coast to coast.

Oakland VA files reveal heartbreak, delays
Santa Cruz Sentinel
By Mark Emmons
POSTED: 03/21/15

OAKLAND — There was nothing special about the metal, gray file cabinet.

But for Rustyann Brown, it represented heartbreak and shattered trust. Stuffed inside were the silent pleas of more than 13,000 veterans and surviving spouses, some dating back to the mid-1990s, begging for VA assistance — help she believes never came for an untold number of them.

Instead, those compensation and disability claims from Northern California veterans had been stashed away and forgotten at the Oakland regional benefits office, according to Brown and other whistle-blowers.

“The VA didn’t do the right thing,” said Brown, 61, of San Leandro. “It didn’t even try to do the right thing. So many of them died waiting. The thought of what happened to those veterans will keep me up at night the rest of my life.”
read more here

Nothing has changed. It never will as long as members of Congress actually remember their obligation to veterans if they sit on the Veterans Affairs Committee in the House, seated in 1946, or on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee since 1970. Until that happens they will just keep blaming the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, as they have since it was made into a cabinet position.

The VA was elevated to a cabinet-level executive department by President Ronald Reagan in October 1988

Oh but hey, why bother to actually learn any history of what went on and when? After all, if members of Congress actually had to do that, they'd also have to be aware folks are watching them too and planning on holding them accountable as well. It is so much easier to dismiss what was done and for how long they did it.

Sgt. Daniel Nerstrom's Life Remembered

Libertyville soldier's funeral brings remembrance, awareness 
Pioneer Press
By Rick Kambic
March 21, 2015

Girlfriend Amanda Tiffany, left, and her son Austin are comforted as Kim Nerstrom, far right, is comforted by a member of the Patriot Guard after the funeral for Nerstrom's son, Army veteran Daniel Nerstrom, in Libertyville on Saturday, March 21, 2015. (Anthony Souffle, Chicago Tribune)

Sgt. Daniel Nerstrom was knocked unconscious by bombs eight times during his 12-month deployment in Iraq from 2005 to 2006.

Suffering from relentless migraines and the memories of losing 44 colleagues, Nerstrom committed suicide at some point after his Dec. 1 disappearance. 

More than 100 friends, family and complete strangers attended Nerstrom's funeral Saturday in north suburban Libertyville, about a week after police found his body.

Nerstrom, 31, was remembered as an enthusiast of Lego blocks and as a recreational welder. He also was credited with being a devout family man.

While deployed as a scout with the Army's Third Armored Regiment, Nerstrom was able to get home for a few days and donate stem cells to help his father, Douglas, beat cancer. 

Serving his country was a dream, according to Nerstrom's mother, Kim. She asked him to go to college first, but caved after one year and gave her blessing. She said he watched the news with a burning passion, and she couldn't deny him any longer.

Nerstrom was given a medical discharge from the Army in January 2009. He had been stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colo., during the years after his tour in Iraq.

In her eulogy, the Rev. Janet Lee Kraft said Nerstrom struggled with his post-war injuries for years before he disappeared.

She said he turned to alcohol for a while but quit when a counselor prescribed animal therapy. 

"Daniel deserved better," Kim Nerstrom said.

"This shouldn't have happened. He loved his country. His country shouldn't let things like this happen."

Police found Nerstrom's body around 10 a.m. March 13 along the Metra tracks east of downtown Libertyville after a train passenger noticed something unusual outside his window. 
read more here

Fort Carson Soldiers and Vietnam Veterans Remember Battle of Suoi Tre

Fort Carson soldiers join Vietnam vets to remember those who fought battle 48 years ago 
The Gazette
By Stephen Hobbs
Published: March 22, 2015

Veterans of the battle of Suoi Tre have had remembrance ceremonies in places such as Florida, Louisiana and California over the years. But for 68-year-old Carl Besson, a former sergeant and member of the 2nd Battalion of the 77th Field Artillery Regiment, Saturday's memorial observance at Fort Carson topped them all.

"This is the most touching and moving ceremony I've ever attended," said Besson, who traveled from California. "We do this every year but not at this level." 

The March 21, 1967, Vietnam War battle was described Saturday as a rally and resurgence by American forces after an early-morning enemy attack.

Speakers recounted details of the battle, read the names of the service members who died and stood solemnly as a 21-cannon salute reverberated on the grounds.

Bob Choquette, a veteran of the artillery regiment, rang a bell each time the name of a fallen soldier was read. Three of his fellow gun crew members were killed in the battle, and Choquette might have died if it weren't for the help of fellow infantry unit soldiers, he said.

"It was a tough situation there and we more or less kind of ran out of ammo and everything," said Choquette, who was visiting from Rhode Island.

"Five more minutes, we wouldn't be here. None of us."

read more here

CMH Pub 91-4 Combat Operations: Taking the Offensive, October 1966 to October 1967 by George L. MacGarrigle.

"Combat Operations: Taking the Offensive chronicles the onset of offensive operations by the U.S. Army after eighteen months of building up a credible force on the ground in South Vietnam and taking the first steps toward bringing the war to the enemy. The compelling story by George L. MacGarrigle begins in October 1966, when General William C. Westmoreland believed that he had the arms and men to take the initiative from the enemy and that significant progress would be made on all fronts over the next twelve months.

Aware of American intentions, North Vietnam undertook a prolonged war of attrition and stepped up the infiltration of its own troops into the South. While the insurgency in the South remained the cornerstone of Communist strategy, it was increasingly overshadowed by main-force military operations.

These circumstances, according to MacGarrigle, set the stage for intensified combat. The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong units retained the advantage, fighting only when it suited their purposes and retreating with impunity into inviolate sanctuaries in Laos and Cambodia. With Westmoreland feeling hamstrung by political constraints on his ability to wage war in the vast hostile areas along the border, 1967 ended with a growing uncertainty in the struggle to secure the countryside.

Relying on official American and enemy primary sources, MacGarrigle has crafted a well-balanced account of this year of intense combat. His volume is a tribute to those who sacrificed so much in a long and irresolute conflict, and soldiers engaged in military operations that place great demands on their initiative, skill, and devotion will find its thought-provoking lessons worthy of reflection."

If you want to see some great pictures and hear some music of the time, this is really good.

Viet Nam 1966 1967
Aug 6, 2014
Tankers in Vietnam. One of the few tank units in Vietnam the 2nd Battalion 34th Armor with M-48A3 tanks arrived in Vietnam on 12 Sept. 1966. Was in many Operations and supported many units while deployed and received the Presidential Unit Citation. These pictures were by me Ralph Arvizu during Operation Junction City in the Iron Triangle.

Suicide Awareness Not the Same As What We Need to Change

Failing More Veterans
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 22, 2015

Three years ago, a life was lost because of what we failed to do. Oh, sure, some just want to blame police officers faced with a veteran in crisis caused by PTSD. The truth is whenever these veterans reach this point, we're all responsible.

When the report came out two years ago, I posted it Veteran Marine with PTSD shot and killed by police but should have said our fingerprints are all over the bullet.

(The link is still good to Knox News)
Family: Maryville man killed after shooting at police suffered from PTSD

Theodore “T.J.” Jones IV was shot and killed at about 4 a.m. Thursday when he advanced on officers who had surrounded him at a former business at 1811 E. Broadway Ave., Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp said.

On Thursday afternoon, Jones’ father took to Facebook to share his grief.

“Today, I feel great pain. My beloved son, Theodore ‘T.J.’ Jones IV, last night suffered another flashback to his combat service as a U.S. Marine,” wrote Theodore Jones III of Maryville.

“He has lost the battle with PTSD. This morning, he sits within sight of Creator and Jesus. He now smokes the pipe with other warriors who have fought to defend their beliefs.”

You may think this story is old news. It isn't. After Jones was buried, the heartache didn't end. It didn't end for the family. It didn't end for police officers. Above all, it didn't end for the line of families afterwards all facing planning funerals for veterans who did not die in combat but perished because of it.

Blount Marine, victim of PTSD, remembered in awareness walk
Daily Times
By Joel Davis
March 22, 2015

Lance Cpl. Theodore “T.J.” Jones IV is not forgotten.

Mark A. Large | The Daily Times
Lea Jones Glarner writes on a banner in memory
of her brother LCPL Theodore Jones IV
Saturday at the pavilion behind the Blount
County Courthouse.

Jones was remembered Saturday during Blount County’s second annual post-traumatic stress disorder Awareness Walk.

It marks two year since his death on March 21, 2013, in an armed standoff with police.

The mile-long walk began in the parking lot outside the courthouse near the greenway. The Blount County Veterans Affairs Office was involved in organizing it.

”This is one of the hardest days of the year for me,” his father, Theodore “Theo” Jones III, said. “My son suffered with PTSD.

It is something that none of us in this family knew or understood in time to help him or to save him, but we have many young young men and women right here in our own community that are still suffering and still waiting on treatment and are still afraid to acknowledge that they need help because of the ridicule they sometimes can get in the community.”

People need to start writing letters to their lawmakers to force better and more timely treatment for those suffering from PTSD, Jones said.

“They don’t get follow-up treatment for years. It’s not fair. It’s not right to our American heroes. We owe them more.”
read more here

Why is it our fault? Simple. Within days of this tragedy this report was released about a study by RAND Corp on what the military was actually doing to help the servicemen and women in uniform. No one seemed to care that the military failed them first.

MILITARY SUICIDES ARE UP, DESPITE 900 PREVENTION PROGRAMS
NextGov
By Bob Brewin
March 21, 2013


The Defense Department runs 900 suicide prevention programs, yet the number of military suicides has more than doubled since 2001, the head of the Pentagon’s suicide prevention office told lawmakers Thursday.

Jacqueline Garrick, acting director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, told the House Armed Services Committee that the Pentagon has identified 291 suicides in fiscal 2012 with investigations into another 59 pending. This is up from 160 in 2001. She said the suicide rate for 2012 is expected to increase once death investigations have been completed and a final manner of death determination is issued.

Lt. Gen. Howard Bromberg, Army deputy chief of staff for personnel, said the service had a record number of 324 potential suicides in 2012, more than double the previous record of 148 in 2009. Both Garrick and Bromberg said the military suicide profile matched that of suicides in the general population -- young, white males younger than 30 with only a high school education.

Eliminating the perception that seeking mental health care could cripple a career and lead to loss of a security clearance is one of the most “critical aspects” of suicide reduction, Bromberg told the hearing. He said there should be a top-down emphasis that seeking help is not a sign of weakness.

Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., who is also a physician and commands an Army Reserve brigade, said he has personal experience with soldier suicides -- one death and two attempts in his unit. He expressed frustration with the military’s inability to stamp out mental health care’s stigma. Heck noted that when he returned from Iraq in 2008, he asked, “Why are we still developing a stigma reduction campaign?” read more here

I left this comment.

The answer they are looking for has been right in front of them. End Resilience Training! In 2009 I gave the strongest warning possible that if they pushed "Comprehensive Soldier Fitness" suicides would go up. I was right but had no power to get anyone in the DOD or Congress to listen to what 30 years of research, living with it and helping veterans taught me. Too many know what works but it doesn't have to be tied to huge contracts that have to be refunded. Nextgov has a report out "Military Suicides are up despite 900 prevention programs" and these programs are tied to contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars but are renewed even though RAND said they did not work with the military culture among other issues. Tired of spending hours trying to undo the damage this approach has produced because it does more harm than good.

Military brass were also answering questions. The problem was no one in Congress ever gather the facts, statistics or reports enough to actually ask them questions as to why after all these years of "prevention" suicides actually increased at the same time combat deaths decreased.

Military evaluating suicide prevention programs
Stars and Stripes
Megan McCloskey
Published: March 21, 2013

Preparing to testify before the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Military Personnel Thursday, March 21, 2013, at the U.S. Capitol are, left to right, Jacqueline Garrick, acting director of the DOD's Defense Suicide Prevention Office; Lt. Gen. Howard B. Bromberg, Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-1; Vice Adm. Scott R. Van Buskirk, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education; Lt. Gen. Darrell D. Jones, Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services; Brig. Gen. .Robert F. Hedelund, Director of Marine and Family Programs for the Marine Corps; and Dr. Jerry Reed Jr., director of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
JOE GROMELSKI/STARS AND STRIPES

WASHINGTON — After another rise in the military suicide rate last year, the services on Thursday outlined to Congress their efforts to reverse the trend and evaluate their prevention programs.
Last year the Army set another record with 324 suicides. For active duty, the 183 suicides in 2012 far exceeded the previous record of 148 in 2009.

“While most Army suicides continue to be among junior enlisted soldiers, the number of suicides by non-commissioned officers has increased over each of the last three years,”

The overall program review has fallen to the Pentagon’s relatively new Defense Suicide Prevention Office, which opened in 2011.

By the end of September, it should complete its comprehensive inventory of all the service’s programs and will have identified gaps and overlaps in the various efforts, Jacqueline Garrick, acting director of the prevention office, told the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel. From there the office will begin to streamline and unify what is offered across the services, she said.

Although she didn’t answer questions about how they were evaluating the programs – besides collecting data from the branches – she said it was a top priority of her office.
read more here

So the DOD failed them first and we didn't manage to fight them to fix anything. Then the VA failed them but hey, why bother to tell the truth on how long all of this had been going on? After all, the press has a short memory on all of this.

Remember the uproar over Candy Land with the VA pushing pills? It came out as if it was all new news. Oh, ya right. I forgot that we're not supposed to remember that this was a matter of life and death. Far too many deaths for far too long.

Deal is reached in lawsuit over veteran's death reported by Kate Willtrout for the Virgina Pilot shows it was going on for the sister of a Navy veteran.

Kelli Grese - a Navy veteran like her twin sister - killed herself on Veterans Day in 2010. She overdosed on Seroquel, an antipsychotic medication that was part of a cocktail of drugs prescribed by doctors at the Hampton Veterans Administration Medical Center.

Darla Grese, of Virginia Beach, filed a malpractice suit against the medical center, seeking $5 million. It was scheduled for trial in Norfolk in April. On Tuesday, Grese and the U.S. government reached a settlement, according to her lawyer, Bob Haddad: If a judge approves the deal, the government will pay Grese $100,000.

Grese hopes publicity about the suit will draw more attention to the treatment of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or depression, both of which her sister battled.

In a single year, Grese said in an interview, doctors at the Hampton facility prescribed 5,370 pills of Klonopin, used to treat anxiety disorders, for her sister.

What was the result of all of this? More deaths that didn't need to happen.

While the false reports of 22 suicides a day were not even close and the VA admitted the numbers were an average of 21 states provided by limited data, everyone simply assumes those numbers are true. Yet state after state produced more shocking numbers.

The number of veterans committing suicide are double the civilian rate. What is even more troubling is the majority of those deaths are 50 and over, meaning veterans from the wars civilians have forgotten about.

And then there are the reports of younger veterans, all trained in suicide prevention, coming home and committing suicide triple their peer rate.

We can talk all we want about raising awareness on the heartache but if we continue to just talk about those we fail, we will fail even more.

We need to start taking a look at what was done to them while we were being told it was being done for them!

If we don't then more families will have to suffer for what we fail to do for the men and women prepared to die for the sake of others but not prepared to live back home!

Every Hour Veterans Plant Flags for Lives They Know Are Lost to Suicide

This is what is important because this outcome is after far too many years of suffering for far too many. Read this story and then watch the video. Then please tell me they are not worth saving.

Flags planted every hour to raise awareness for military suicide
KHOU 11 News
Kevin Reece
March 20, 2015

HOUSTON -- Over the course of the 441 hours of basketball games that make up the NCAA March Madness tournament, 441 American flags will be planted in front of the PTSD Foundation of America's Camp Hope in Northwest Houston to draw attention to the unsolved epidemic of military suicides.

"Losing basically one every hour," said PTSD Foundation Executive Director David Maulsby while standing in front of the first 24 flags placed in the ground since the tournament began.

"We've been 24 hours since the tournament started, we've lost 24 veterans to suicide," said Maulsby of the statistically proven estimate of one active duty or military veteran suicide approximately every 64 minutes. "And that should get people's attention."

Maulsby decided to have the residents of Camp Hope place one of the flags every hour on the hour until the tournament is over. Camp Hope offers counseling and treatment for soldiers and their families battling PTSD.
read more here

Melbourne AIrshow Not Worth The Trip

This morning my husband and I headed over to the Space Coast for the Melbourne Airshow. What should have taken about 90 minutes, turned into over 2 hours because of traffic near the airport. Then it was a trip from hell onto the grass lot and $20 just to park the car. We were crammed in tight and not sure if we'd be able to leave early. We were told we could.

The walk to the venue was over a mile away. Not a great idea considering while most folks are still dealing with Winter hanging around, it was about 90 here. Plus it's an airshow, so there were a lot of veterans and some of them were disabled along with being elderly. We saw busses and some golf carts but no one knew anything about how to get to use any of them.

Ok, so it was another $20 a piece to get in. We spent $60 and then another $6 for 2 bottles of water we needed after walking that far in the heat.

They had porta-potties, but you could only get to them after the hike, after the line to pay and after the line to get in. While there were enough of them, the problem was there was nothing provided to clean your hands afterwards. Plenty of food vendors around charging a lot of money for food that didn't seem to appetizing topped off with there was no place to sit other than some tents reserved for special folks.

We saw one pilot stun everyone but by the time he was done, I wanted to leave. The heat had gotten to me and so did everything else.

I felt as I was may pass out, so my husband took both cameras and we headed out. A woman walked right past me and stepped on my foot but just kept walking. At this point I was screaming "get me out of here" in my head. God love my husband!

We got near the exit and my husband asked a guy with a golf cart about getting a ride. He asked where we parked and we pointed near the busses we could barely see. He told us those buses were only for people who parked further away. My husband told him I felt faint and he just didn't say a word.

Well we got to the area where we parked and were really angry when a bus pulled up right where we told the other guy where we parked and he actually picked people up!

All in all, it could have been a great day if we had known what we were getting into and just stayed home.

If you plan on going tomorrow,

Bring a lot of cash! You'll need it just to park.

Leave a lot earlier than you planned on.

Bring chairs and you better bring your own shade.

Don't bring water since they won't let you in the gate with it.

Make sure you find someone with a clue what it going on so you know how to get on the damn bus and won't have to walk over a mile.

Since it will be hot, you'll need to drink a lot and that means, you guessed it, the porta potties, so make sure you have your own hand sanitizers.

Make sure you have sunscreen on since I didn't even think of it.

Remember folks, above all this may have military planes but it is a money maker for the folks putting it on.

The parking lot was still filling up while we were leaving.

Easy to tell from the few pictures I took that I was not having a good time at all!

New Jersey and Massachusetts Craft Tough Stolen Valor Laws

Above and beyond: 2 states craft 'stolen valor' laws that exceed federal version 
FOX News
Perry Chiaramonte
March 21, 2015

“People take that uniform and the American Flag very seriously. You don’t get to say you fought for it when you clearly haven’t.”- Massachusetts State Representative John Velis

Lawmakers in two northeastern states are declaring war on phony veterans who claim combat experience in order to commit fraud. So-called "stolen valor" laws are not new, and the current federal version was revised after a tougher one was struck down in 2012 by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Laws proposed in New Jersey and Massachusetts would go further than Washington's regulation, heaping prison time on those convicted of faking service to the country to gain money or service benefits. “There are certain areas you don’t go,”

Massachusetts State Representative John Velis, a Democrat from Westfield who served tours in Afghanistan. "Any person who has served will tell you that it’s reprehensible when someone fraudulently represents themselves as a veteran for some type of financial gain.” 

Velis says his bill would make it a criminal offense to commit an act of stolen valor, carrying at least a year in prison and a $1,000 fine, making it the toughest law in the nation.
read more here

OEF OIF Veteran Has New Place to Call Home In Sanford Florida

Wounded veteran gets new, custom-built home in Sanford 
My FOX Orlando
By Gina Benitez, FOX 35 Reporter
Posted: Mar 20, 2015

SANFORD, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO)

Sanford's W. 25th St. was partially shut down on Friday afternoon and dozens welcomed Sgt. Jackie Irving home.

Irving hasn't just returned from a tour of duty, as he's already done his time overseas. He and his family are literally coming home to a brand new custom-built house. "My family is happy, my kids are in there somewhere right now going crazy. I'm happy, they're happy and I'm grateful for what's been done for us," Irving said.

Retired from the Army, Irving did tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan and in 2012, he suffered serious injuries from the blast of an improvised explosive device, including a brain injury.

He is also still dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
read more here

Some Came Home...A Story of Returning

Some Came Home...A Story of Returning by CHUCK DEAN New

A dramatic look at PTSD and returning from war.

Some Came Home…portrays a profound romance during one of our country’s most tumultuous times. Vietnam became more than a country during the ‘60’s and 70’s…it became a cultural revolution that changed America forever, and this writing so eloquently humanizes the entire experience.

Link to nominate Some Came Home

Who is Chuck Dean? Aside from writing countless books on PTSD and healing,

Since 1984, when Seattle Police Officer and Vietnam Veteran Bill Landreth noticed he was arresting the same people each night, he discovered most were Vietnam vets like himself that just never seemed to have quite made it home. He began to meet with them in coffee shops and on a regular basis for fellowship and prayer. Soon, Point Man Ministries was conceived and became a staple of the Seattle area. Bills untimely death soon after put the future of Point Man in jeopardy.

However, Chuck Dean, publisher of a Veterans self help newspaper, Reveille, had a vision for the ministry and developed it into a system of small groups across the USA for the purpose of mutual support and fellowship. These groups are known as Outposts. Worldwide there are hundreds of Outposts and Homefront groups serving the families of veterans.

PMIM is run by veterans from all conflicts, nationalities and backgrounds. Although, the primary focus of Point Man has always been to offer spiritual healing from PTSD, Point Man today is involved in group meetings, publishing, hospital visits, conferences, supplying speakers for churches and veteran groups, welcome home projects and community support. Just about anywhere there are Vets there is a Point Man presence. All services offered by Point Man are free of charge.

Our generation went through everything the newer generation is going through but the press was more interested in portraying Vietnam veterans as dangerous thugs committing crimes instead of what was really going on. They were being arrested instead of being helped, just as Bill saw and decided to do something about it. Chuck Dean felt the same way.

I think this book will be yet another tribute to our love stories that have never been told. If you think it requires limitless love to stand by the side of PTSD veterans, you're right but you also need to know they are so worth it!

As a Vietnam Veteran's wife of over 30 years I can tell you that I don't regret the decision to keep the bond between us strong enough to withstand the worst of times to witness the best days that came when few thought they would.

(I am Florida State Coordinator of PMIM and looking for veterans and families to step up and lead the way to healing 1.7 million other veterans in this country. If interested, email me at woundedtimes@aol.com or go directly to Point Man International Ministries)

Why Should You Pay Attention to What Isn't Said?

There is a lot of confusion in this country on multiple issues. One of them is when the press says "PTSD is an invisible wound" because they look at veterans from a distance. Removed from the reality veterans face on a daily basis, they simply can't see it. Yet if you are up close and spend time with them, aware of what you are seeing, it is all so clear.

You can see it in their eyes. You can even hear it in what they don't say. Folks have been given permission to settle for what has been going on because no one told them their obligation didn't end when wars ended.

Awareness is key to most things. Assuming you know what is going on is how we all allowed the problems to become greater at the same time more was being done.

When suicides went up after over a decade of groups collecting billions a year to help veterans along with the federal government, red flags were flying all over the veterans community. We knew what price was being paid for claims being made yet nothing being delivered. It just sounded good to hear someone was doing something. It just didn't matter if that thing being done was helping or not.

I don't know why I am still shocked with what can be discovered online when we search for answers.

This morning I was searching for a story on another amputee receiving a home from a bank. It was a foreclosure they had renovated to give to the veteran and his family. The problem was I caught the news report at the end of it. I'll still look for the story but in the search I found this.

I went to the link Bullets First and it linked to the article on the Daily Beast. Wounded Warrior Project Under Fire

The organization also engages in branded partnerships for everything from ketchup to paper towels to playing cards—something that rubs other veterans’ groups the wrong way.

“It’s more about the Wounded Warrior Project and less about the wounded warrior,” said a second veterans’ advocate.

After years of hearing complaints it got to the point where if I see the logo on Bounty paper towels, I won't buy them no matter if Publix (local supermarket) has them bogo (buy one get one free) or any other product with the logo that came from a group of real Marines in Iraq.

The Marines Sgt. Matt LeVart carries injured Cpl. Barry Lange off the battlefield as members of India Company 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Division engage Iraqi soldiers in battle. (AP Photo/Laura Rauch)

Wounded Times has posted a stories about this group in the past including this one from the Daily Beast piece in September Wounded Warrior Project Under Fire,,,,Again with extended information including videos and the back story on the Marines discovered after WWP decided to sue another charity out of Indiana for calling them a fraud. Help Indiana Veterans was their target then.

To date, the WWP's benefits team has helped 6,600 veterans submit benefit claims, and their Warriors to Work program helped place 1,900 veterans in jobs. The organization offers peer mentoring, employment assistance services, physical health and wellness activities, and long-term support initiatives.

But of the more than 56,000 veterans the group counts as “alumni,” meaning that they have been registered with the organization, many don’t directly engage with WWP.

Ok, now you know why when I am introduced to folks and someone says "She's with Wounded Warrior Project" I gag then explain that Wounded Times is about raising awareness, not money. 

Wounded Times is not associated with WWP now, has not been in the past and never will be. There is only one ad source I have blocked from this site and if you guessed it was them you are correct. As for the name, that came from how there is Army Times, Marines Corps Times and others but this is about veterans from all branches and all wars focusing on PTSD.  Considering I wrote a book back before WWP started and used the term Wounded Warriors in it along with videos, simply because I got tired of writing about wounded Soldiers, wounded Marines and separating them from each other it just made more sense to use the ancient term of Warrior.

This group does not make any claims in their commercials, so calling them a fraud is not accurate. If folks are falling for their heart tugging commercials to the point where they're writing out checks without ever once really listening to the commercial, it is their problem.

Funding millions into a group asking for donations so that the donors can "honor and empower them to aid and assist each other" is the clearest indication no one really pays enough attention.

In the Veterans community our conversations are much different than within the general public. Few still support this group. Most have been turned away from them or know someone denied help they sought.

The kicker is, veterans don't rely on huge sums of money to do it. They do it for the sake of other veterans and no one can ever replace that. They do not shut out other veterans because they are not the right kind of veteran or forget that older veterans suffered the same as the younger ones but waited longer on their own when no one was paying attention to them.

Veterans stand by each other because side by side they are stronger together and that is priceless! Something WWP will never really understand.

Headline on Retired General Chiarelli Funny and Twisted at Same Time

Is this headline a joke?

General who led Army’s PTSD and TBI reforms is on bill at TEDxTacoma
New Tribune
BY ADAM ASHTON
Staff writer
March 20, 2015

Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli spoke Secretary of the Army John McHugh at his retirement in January 2012. Since then, Chiarelli has moved to Seattle and launched One Mind, an organization that aims to improve treatment of brain injuries. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. John G. Martinez) SPC. JOHN G. MARTINEZ — Spc. John G. Martinez

A retired Army general who launched an organization to study brain injuries and a former Joint Base Lewis-McChord Army Ranger who’s now in the business of making shoes in conflict-torn communities will be among the speakers at this weekend’s TEDxTacoma.

Former Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli and Combat Flip Flops co-founder Matthew Griffin are two of the three veterans on the bill at Tacoma’s version of the global Technology, Education and Design (TED) forums.

The full line-up for Saturday’s event is available at the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets start at $39 and the event is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Other speakers include Bradd Busick of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Tacoma-raised songwriter William Jordan and 11-year-old Olivia Anderson of Gig Harbor, who is trying to raise awareness about clean-water challenges in the developing world.

As the 32nd Army Vice of Chief of Staff, Chiarelli labored to understand and address a rising number of suicides among soldiers during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. His efforts are documented in Thank You for Your Service, a book by David Finkel of The Washington Post.
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Led reforms where? Suicides went up!

2008
The report from Associated Press

Facing prospects that one in five of the 101st Airborne Division soldiers will suffer from stress-related disorders, the base has nearly doubled its psychological health staff. Army leaders are hoping to use the base's experiences to assess the long-term impact of repeated deployments.

Chiarelli's comment

"I don't know what to expect. I don't think anybody knows," said Gen. Peter Chiarelli, vice chief of staff of the Army, as he flew back to Washington from a recent tour of the base's medical facilities. "That's why I want to see numbers from the 101st's third deployment."

2009
Stars and Stripes report

In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, vice chief of staff for the Army, called the suicide figures for his service "unacceptable" and fixing them "the most difficult and critical mission" of his military career.

2010

Report from Seattle Times

Chiarelli, who served two tours of duty in Iraq, says the mental-health crisis in the military has been the toughest battle of his 37-year career.

His highest-profile role has been in shaping the Army’s response to the plight of soldiers stressed from the long wars.

A 2008 RAND Corp. study found about one-third of troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq had symptoms of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury. Reviews of suicide cases often find a link between the deaths and troubles with spouses; repeat deployments also appear to put soldiers more at risk.

There also have been some unexpected trends.

Looking at the data, Chiarelli found that last year, suicide rates were higher among soldiers deployed to Iraq, where combat tailed off sharply, than in Afghanistan, where troops faced greater risks of insurgent attacks.

It is great to try to change things but even better if the changes actually accomplished more than staying the course or worse, making it worse, which is what we've seen. Military suicides went up and so did suicides among veterans.

Dilemma of Sharing or Suppressing News

Lunchtime at work today I had a dilemma. I talked to a couple of friends about posting how there seems to be an increase in soldiers charged with crimes, especially this morning. I couldn't decide to post them or just avoid them.

One of my friends said that operating a news site like this would mean I was suppressing news instead of covering it.

I thought about it for a while and then remembered other stories I just wanted to ignore. One of them is Dakota Meyer stories that have come out over the last few days. (It pains me to put these up)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Bristol Palin says she is engaged to Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer.
The daughter of former Alaska governor and former GOP vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin said in a blog post Saturday that Meyer came to Alaska to film the "Amazing America" reality show with her mother last year. She says Meyer is wonderful with her son Tripp.

'That's just how we roll': Bristol Palin's Medal of Honor fiance defends playing with an infant as gun sits feet away on table
In an Instagram photo posted to his account, former Marine Dakota Meyer can be seen playing with an infant as a gun sits next to them
When someone pointed this out on his post, he joked 'that's just how we roll, haha'
Meyer, one of the youngest Medal of Honor recipients in American history, has a large number of posts showing him with guns on social media
One shows a sign he was gifted by friends that reads 'I Don't Call 911' with two pistols on either side In Kentucky, where Meyer is from, no permit is needed to buy a handgun and the weapons can be carried anywhere as long as they aren't concealed
The same is true in Alaska, where Meyer's new fiance Bristol Palin lives with her son Tripp
The Daily Mail By CHRIS SPARGO 20 March 2015

U.S. Air Force Veteran, Charged With Trying to Join ISIS

Anyway those are some of the stories I avoided posting on. 

These are the ones that troubled me the most.

Fort Meade-based Army Spc. is charged in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, with criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and statutory sexual assault.

A soldier with Joint Base Lewis McChord is facing charges after he allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl, Grays Harbor Sheriff's deputies said.

A Fort Bragg soldier is facing multiple child sex charges, the Hoke County Sheriff's Office said Thursday.

FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska — Soldiers in a unit in Alaska have a “tradition” of allowing racial slurs to be used freely on “Racial Thursdays,” a soldier told the Army Times. "When I first got to my unit, someone said we should do 'Racial Thursdays' because it's been a tradition," the soldier, a staff sergeant, told the Times. "It's something they made up where you can say any racist remark you want without any consequences. The platoon sergeant said no, but the (expletive) is still going on."

All of them just came out. Names omitted for Soldiers charged with crimes.

Head of Charity For Military Families Under Investigation Committed Suicide

Just to give you some perspective here, what I do costs me a lot of time and little bit of money. While I do this and more stuff 7 days a week with at least 40 hours a week, I lose money every year. I had to go back to work for a paycheck at the same time I work from home because this is my passion and my vocation.

I used to be jealous of folks who were able to do the the work and still figured out how to find financial support to do it. How can they spend time that kind of time doing the work they promised to do and then raise such huge funds at the same time? Simple because most of the time they hire firms to do it and they get a huge chunk of the money people donate so even less goes to the purpose of the money donated.

The part that makes me want to toss my cookies on a regular basis is when they feel as if they deserve hundreds of thousands of dollars because they are worth it! Bullshit! Either they are in it to take care of the troops and veterans or they are in it for themselves. I've known too many great people that work harder than even I do and they are happy just breaking even. The cause is what matters to them not getting rich.

Can someone please tell me why anyone would actually deserve a six or seven figure income to get veterans to help each other when that is what they do on their own for free all the time?

Are folks really that nuts they just don't see it or are their hearts tugged to do something so that anything sounds good to them?

Rant over,,,,sorry, but when I read this article, it just made me sick to my stomach!

Maine charity founder who committed suicide faced FBI fraud investigation
Portland Press
BY SCOTT DOLAN STAFF WRITER
March 18, 2015

Marcel Badeau of Gorham-based Operation Tribute is suspected of siphoning off large sums donated to buy holiday gifts for children in military families.

Margo and Marc Badeau, seen working at their Gorham business in 2007, are now identified in court records as the targets of an investigation by multiple federal agencies.
Press Herald file photo/Jack Milton

The founder of a Maine charity that provided holiday gifts to the children of military families was under investigation for fraud when he committed suicide last month.

The investigation focused on whether Marcel “Marc” Badeau, chairman of the Gorham-based nonprofit Operation Tribute, siphoned off hundreds of thousands of dollars that he told donors would be spent on gifts for children.

Badeau and his wife, Margherita Badeau, are identified in court records unsealed Wednesday as the targets of an investigation by multiple federal agencies that started in July.

The accusations depicting Marcel Badeau as an ex-con scam artist stand in stark contrast to his public image as a selfless man, tirelessly devoting his time to support the children of military service men and women in New England, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Wednesday’s revelation surprised many people who supported Badeau, including Gov. Paul LePage and first lady Ann LePage, who both issued statements after his death Feb. 27.

In honor of the charitable group’s recognition of the sacrifices made by military families, LePage declared December 2012 Operation Tribute Month. The organization was also named Maine’s Outstanding Non-profit in 2011.

The court filings indicate the Badeaus used donated money for personal needs, including more than $230,000 in cash, $138,000 in mortgage payments, more than $25,000 for personal cars, nearly $24,000 for one of their children’s college tuition, and more than $7,000 at New Hampshire state liquor stores.
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Fort Hood Leaves Soldiers Still Asking Who Is Accountable to Them

Justice not served at Fort Hood with Hasan conviction and still has not been. Too many questions unanswered and too few held accountable for what they allowed to happen. Ft. Hood victims and survivors deserve answers but unless the media is pushing that point, lawmakers supposedly in charge of what the DOD does and does not do, will never happen.

Wounded Times has been screaming about this since it happened.

Like everyone else I was stunned but I was also remembering what I saw at Fort Hood when I was there a few months before. Soldiers and families hanging around the food court much like civilian families do at the mall. Shopping carriages filled with supplies for families and usually young children hitching a ride from Mom and Dad. Unlike the mall, this is a close community where you have to show a military ID before getting in. It was a place where they were supposed to feel safe.

The shooting was at Fort Hood but every member of the military felt it.

Purple Hearts for those killed and wounded at Fort Hood are an acknowledgment of what was done to some of them, but not to all of them. The aftermath of the Fort Hood massacre was, as we discovered far worse than originally imagined.

Well finally the Wall Street Journal has taken a look at what was not done after this deadly day from hell. As you'll read, it was written from someone who didn't just read about it. She was there when it happened!

The Army’s Fort Hood Disgrace
No one who supervised the shooter has been held to account, but the victims are denied pay and benefits.
Wall Street Journal
By KATHY PLATONI
March 19, 2015

It was more than five years ago that the gunshots rang out, but those of us who survived can still hear their echoes. On Nov. 5, 2009, an Army psychiatrist named Nidal Hasan—an American radicalized by extremist Islamic beliefs—opened fire on his fellow soldiers in Fort Hood, Texas, killing 14 people, including an unborn child, and wounding 32.

I was there. A beloved friend, Capt. John Gaffaney, died at my knees. I was slated to become the shooter’s direct supervisor and later learned I was at the top of his hit list.

That day has faded from the minds of most Americans. But the survivors and the families of the deceased continually relive its horror. They also continue to face betrayal by the government they served.

It is a gross miscarriage of justice that no one who supervised the shooter—overlooked his behavior and promoted him—has been held accountable. That the massacre is still labeled an incident of workplace violence committed by a disgruntled employee is delusional and contemptible. Because the massacre was not recognized as a terrorist attack, victims were deemed ineligible for combat-injury benefits, the Purple Heart, and its civilian counterpart, the Defense of Freedom medal. Three successive defense secretaries refused to change this designation, and five years passed.

Survivors of the massacre and the families of the dead are now finding some measure of justice. Congress has rewritten the language governing fallen warriors, and Army Secretary John McHugh has announced that Fort Hood victims will receive long-overdue medals. They will be offered burial plots at Arlington National Cemetery and compensation pay upon retirement. But further details remain unclear. For instance, Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning, whom Hasan shot six times, told reporters last year that because his injuries were not classified as combat-related, he lost roughly $70,000 in benefits and $2,500 a month in pay. Will he be made whole?
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Troops and Veterans Still Suffer, DOD and Congress Stay the Course

I do not find any hope in yet more reports regarding the lousy treatment our soldiers have gotten especially when the same people are in charge after causing the mess in the first place. They actually think its smart to blame soldiers stating "Some of it is just personal make-up. Intestinal fortitude. Mental toughness that ensures that people are able to deal with stressful situations." You'll just have to go to the link to find out who said it and when.

Army Investigates Abuse of Wounded Warriors at Fort Hood
Military.com
Richard Sisk
March 19, 2015

The Army has begun a fact-finding investigation into allegations of recent mistreatment of wounded, ill and injured soldiers at the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Hood, Texas.

Army officials confirmed last week that an Article 15-6 investigation under the Uniformed Code of Military Justice was underway at Fort Hood following reports that soldiers at the WTU had complained of over-medication, harassment and degrading behavior by staff. The allegations were first reported by the Dallas Morning News and local KXAS-TV (NBC5).

The latest Fort Hood reports followed a Congressional hearing last month that focused in part on allegations of mistreatment at WTUs in three Texas bases – Fort Hood, Fort Bliss and Fort Sam Houston.

Col. Chris Toner, head of the Army's Warrior Transition Command, testified that the allegations of staff treating soldiers as malingerers and other abuses were based on reports to the Army's own ombudsmen between 2009-2013.
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Especially troubling when members of Congress don't get it either. They are more about Congress protecting phony boloney jobs instead of veterans.